Hunt insists he acted fairly over BSkyB

Jeremy Hunt, UK culture secretary, has defended his role overseeing News Corp’s bid to take full control of British Sky Broadcasting, telling Members of Parliament he conducted himself with “scrupulous fairness.”

Hunt appeared before parliament shortly after Adam Smith, his special adviser, resigned. Smith admitted that his communication with News Corp during the bid process went “too far.” The minister listed four decisions that went against the wishes of News Corp: saying he was “minded” to refer the bid to the competition commission, asking Ofcom, the regulator to review the assurances undertaken by News Corp as part of the bid, extending the period of consultation and asking Ofcom to review whether the phone hacking affair had any impact on the bid.